Water grate



March 14, 1950 K TT 2,500,323

WATER GRATE Filed May 1945 mam; amawam Mil? a; ma l iiiflilliliflimilli INVENTOR. F!- 4 MCKZPUCKETC g. BY

Patented Mar. 14, 1950 Nick T. Puckett, Indianapolis,

Ind, "assignor to The Hoift Company, Inc., Indianapolis,lnd., a corporation of Indiana Application May 28, 1945, Serial No. 596,386

7 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in furnace grates, and particularly to the grate bars of such furnace grates, which are used in connection with water-cooled tubes on which the grate bars are supported.

The grate bars are primarily designed for use in connection with that type of furnace which is adapted for burning such fuels as refuse, waste,

rubbish, garbage, bagasse and materials of extremely high moisture content, as well as various types of dry fuel.

In certain embodiments of this type of furnace, there is provided a plurality of water-cooled tubes, which are inclined at the proper angles from the intake end of the furnace downwardly to the delivery end. Supported on these watercooled tubes are suitable grate bars, through Which the ash of the consumed material is adapted to drop and which provide air passages for the delivery of combustion air "for the burning material.

supported, to a more or less extent, the material as it slides down the grate, and this movement of the material over the tubes, due to its abrasive action, has resulted in the rapid wear of the tubes, necessitating frequent replacement there- :of, and such a replacement is an expensive procedure, due to the fact that such worn tubes have to beremoved and new ones installed.

It is one of "the objects of my invention to pro- 'vide agrate bar, which is so constructed that the wear resulting from a sliding and abrasive action of the fuel, is taken by the grate bars, and at the same time the fuel is supported sufficiently above the grates as to provide ample air space beneath the fuel.

A further object of my invention is to provide a grate bar structure, which, while taking the wearof the sliding fuel may be readily moved so that instead of having to remove worn'tub'esthe grate bars themselves, when they become worn, may readily be lifted and new bars substituted.

For the purpose of disclosing the invention, an embodiment thereof is illustrated in the accom panying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a plan view showing my "improved grate bars supported in position on the watercooled tubes;

Fig. -2 is a side elevation of the water-cooled tubes showing the improved grate 'bar supported thereon;

Fig. 3 is a transverse :section on the line :3-3 of #Fig. 2; and

Fig. '4 is a sectional view of amodificationof theg'ra'te bar 's'ho'wnin Figs. 1 to 3.

In :the embodiment illustrated, =I haveshown a plurality of =threewater-cooled tubes of the type of grate with which my grate bar is adapted to be used. These three tubes 1 are arranged in parallel spaced-apart relation and -suppor'ted on the tubes are the grate bars '2 'which may "be formed in sections.

Each is grate bar-comprises a comparatively-deep narrow rib or plate 3. -At spaced intervals along this rib I or plate are-arranged -a series of laterally extended separated transverse ribs or fins 4.

These fins'take the shape, generally, of a triangle, with the apex of the triangle terminating at the bottom of the rib-or plate :3. The top angles of the triangle are connected together by continuous arcuate plates '5, whose contour generally follows the contour of the water-cooled tubes I. These plates :are continued from one end of the grate'b'ar to the other, and are sufficient to cover approximately one-half of the top surface of the tubes. The base 6 of the triangle is considerably below the top of the arcuate plates 5, andas a matter of fact, the angles at the base of thetriangle are approximatelyat the .lower edges of the plates 5.

Preferably, the ribs 4 are inclined slightly at'can angle to theaxis of .the tubes, as illustrated,

In practice, the grate bar units are merely dropped into position, with the supporting plates =5 resting upon and practically covering thetops of :the water-cooled tubes.

there area plurality of these parallelspaced-apart relation, the plates "5 of the two adjacent grate bars practically cover the Therefore, where tubes arranged in tops of-the tubes. By-this arrangement, I am en- -abled-to-provide a comparatively smooth surface onwhichthe fuel isadapted to slide, which surface is located above the tops ofthe grate bars and above the tops of the ribs 6. At the same time, the water-cooled tubes are substantially protected against the wear of the sliding fuel which is-taken by the plates 5, although the grate bars are in such close association and contact with the tubes that a great deal of'heat'from the bars is absorbed in the tubes, thus'maintaining "the grate bars'relatively cool and preventing the same from burning-out.

The water-cooled tubes themselves provide suitable support for the grate bars, with the grate "bars disposed in the space betweenithe tubes, and by this-arrangement, the gratebars. may readily be removed or placed in position, as no tools are required for fastening the same in position.

In the structure illustrated, for the purpose of clearness, I have shown two sections or two sets of grate bars longitudinally separated on the tubes. It is obvious that in actual practice, one set of bars may abut the next set, so as to form a continuous grate.

In Fig. 4, I have illustrated a modification of the structures shown in Figs. 1 to 3, in which modification I have provided means for permitting the passage of air beneath the plates 5. By providing a series of ribs 1 on the underside of the plates 5, which ribs extend from the inner edge of the plates to the outer edge, air passages beneath the plates may be provided.

I claim as my invention:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a grate bar adapted for use in connection with watercooled tubular grates, the tubes of said grates being arranged in separate parallel rows, said grate bar comprising a vertical rib, said rib having a plurality of laterally projecting spaced apart cross ribs connected at their tops to continuous longitudinally disposed arcuate supporting plates adapted to fit upon and be supported by the water-cooled tubes, the tops of said transversely extending ribs being disposed in a plane below the plane or the tops of said plates, the grate bars being adapted to be supported between a pair of tubes with the plates resting upon the top surfaces of the tubes and the extent of the plates being sufficient to substantially cover approximately one-half of the top surfaces of the tubes.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a grate bar adapted for use in connection with watercooled tubular grates, the tubes of said grates being arranged in parallel spaced apart relation, said grate bar comprising a comparatively deep vertical rib, transverse ribs extending laterally from said vertical rib, substantially triangular shaped with the apex of the triangle terminating substantially at the bottom of said rib and the corner angles of said triangular transverse ribs being connected by arcuate plates of substantially the same length as the vertical rib and extending above the base of the triangle, the plates being so curved as to fit over the parallel spaced apart tubes, and being of sufiicient width to cover substantially one-half of that portion of the tubes projecting above the base of the transverse ribs.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a grate bar adapted for use in connection with water-cooled tubular grates, the tubes of said grates being arranged in separate parallel rows, said grate bar comprising continuous arcuate supporting plates adapted to fit upon and be supported by the water-cooled tubes, said plates having a series of ribs on their underfaces extending from the inner to the outer edge of said plates, and a transversely extending member extending between said plates for rigidly maintaining the same in spaced apart relation, said member having air passages extending through the same from top to bottom, and the top of said member being disposed in a plane below the plane of the tops of the plates.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a grate bar adapted for use in connection with water-cooled tubular grates, the tubes of said grates being arranged in separate parallel rows, said grate bars comprising a plurality of spaced apart ribs adapted to lie between the separated water-cooled tubes, the opposite edges of said ribs being connected together by longitudinally continuous jddas plates arcuate in cross section, projecting upwardly above the top edges of said ribs and outwardly from the edges of said ribs and being of a width sufficient to cover substantially one-half of the top surface of the parallel tubes whereby the top edges of the ribs are supported below the top surface of the tubes and the plates form a protective armor for the tubes on which the fuel of the grate is adapted to slide.

5. As a new article of manufacture, a grate bar adapted for use in connection with water-cools tubular grates, the tubes of said grates bein arranged in separate parallel rows, said grat bars comprising a plurality of spaced apart parallel ribs adapted to lie between the separated tubes, said ribs being narrower at their bottoms than at their tops, the opposite edges of said ribs being connected together by longitudinally continuous plates arcuate in cross section, projecting upwardly above the top edges of said ribs and outwardly from said ribs and bein of sufficient width to cover substantially one-half of the top surface of the parallel tubes whereby the top edges of the ribs are supported below the top surface of the tubes and the plates form a protective armor on which the fuel of the grate is adapted to slide.

6. As a new article of manufacture, a grate bar adapted for use in connection with water-cooled tubular grates, the tubes of said grates being arranged in separate parallel rows, said grate bars comprising a plurality of ribs adapted to extend between the parallel tubes and separated longitudinally from one another to provide air passages therebetween, a pair of longitudinally continuous plates integrally connected to the opposite side edges of said ribs, arcuate in cross section and being of sufficient width to overlap the top surfaces of said tubes and extend over said tubes to substantially cover approximately one-half of the top surface of said tubes to provide a protective armor for said tubes on which the fuel of the grate may slide.

'7. As a new article of manufacture, a grate bar adapted for use in connection with water-cooled tubular grates, the tubes of said grates being arranged in separate parallel rows, said grate bar comprising longitudinally disposed spaced apart continuous plates arcuate in cross section to fit the tops of the tubes and being of sufiicient width to cover the top of said tubes to substantially midpoint thereof and a transversely disposed connecting member disposed between said plates and maintaining the plates transversely separated, said transversely disposed member having air passages extending from bottom to top therethrough, the top of said transversely disposed member being substantially fiat and connected at its outer edges to the bottom inner edges of said plates.

NICK T. PUCKETI'.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Denmark July 16,1934 

